One of the things that is noticeable to a neutral eye is that Amway groups and leaders have some resemblance to a cult. The main difference is that you can come and go as you please, but still, there is strong peer pressure to keep going and not quit the group because quitting would give you the label of being a quitter, loser, or broke loser. This pressure might be subtle but it’s real. And there's also the thought of not being able to fulfill your financial goals and dreams because you are no longer in Amway, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The diamonds are given undue adulation. I recall my first open meeting as a prospect, the diamond was treated like royalty and was given a standing ovation as he entered the room And his claim to fame? Achieving a level in Amway. Sure, achieving diamond is no easy feat, but surely not worthy of rock star status. But worshipping a leader is a cult like trait. That happens in Amway. And the higher your rank, the more worship you receive from the masses. It's almost like the Messiah has entered the room and will solve all of your problems. The insidious part is that the leader will likely give you advice you line his owns pockets but not your own.
The IBOS all have a common cause. They all seek financial freedom thru the Amway business, and they all plan to do it in a relatively short amount of time. Of course the leaders are careful not to label the business as "get rich quick", but 2-5 years to get residual lifelong wealth sure seems quick to me. The IBOS dress alike in business attire, and they act similarly and they use many of the same products. They all fall in in line and try to “earn time” to spend with the leader. These are also cult like traits. I mean who really needs to wear a suit to learn to buy stuff, sell stuff and recruit others to join? The rank and file think they are just acting successfully because they will eventually make it if they just keep going.
But in the end, the upline just uses their position to fleece the down line. They sell them the hope of a better life by convincing them that you need an endless supply of training and Amway education via tools and functions. In my informed opinion, the diamonds don’t give a hoot about the down line. They are just there to be exploited so the diamonds can enjoy the diamond lifestyle.
For this reason, the diamonds have to constantly push tools and functions on their downline, so they can get their residual income. The diamonds even had the gall to charge full price for zoom meetings during the covid pandemic. How sad is that? The fact is that Amway should have been booming since they run and online no contact business (during covid). But they didn't have the boom that should have been expected. Do you know why? I do. :)
Hello Joecool,
ReplyDeleteHow long has it been since you were in Amway?
The whole idea of Amway is to run a business with products that nobody really wants to buy. All the various kinds of insanity that IBOs report here about are due to this simple fact.
ReplyDeleteSo how do you maintain a business with products that the general public doesn't seem to want? It's simple -- you just suck others into the Plan, and hope that it takes them a long time to figure out what's wrong.
Everything in Amway is about sustaining the illusion that an actual business exists, with customer demand, advertising, and shelf-space in stores. But none of that exists. Amway forbids it to exist. You are not allowed to sell that way, and in fact you aren't even encouraged to try to sell to the general population at all. Your only real purpose in Amway is to create a down-line, and hope that your down-line will do the same.
The reason this is cult-like is that it depends on blind faith, unquestioning loyalty, and fierce resistance to facts. Every IBO in Amway hopes that he can create a down-like of committed fanatics who will NEVER quit, and who will spend their last dollar on whatever up-line orders them to spend it on.
Anonymous at 9:22, I quit back in 1997 or so. I've been blogging since about 2006, although this current blog has been around since about 2009. I blog to provide personal experiences and insight. I do it because information seekers can use the information to at least make an informed decision about Amway.
ReplyDeleteMy group (URA / URAssociation ) really pushes edification. They say that if you (the lowly IBO) shed the light and pump up someone (the High Pin), then they (the High Pin) will turn things right around and shed the light back on the lowly IBO. It's all BS. It's an act. Little is actually genuine so I can understand why the cult perception is there.
ReplyDelete